Failure to See
by Threnader
Summary: "No matter how many times you say you're sorry, the wounds will still be there." Tony now has to take custody of Loki, stripped of his magic, and hopefully he will make a turnaround like Thor did after he was banished to Earth. But is Loki really changing for the better, or just playing another one of his games.
1. Chapter 1

"So, that, Tony, is why we've assigned Loki into your custody." Fury announced as he sat in his chair. The screen flickered slightly.

There was a snicker in the back, obviously from Clint. Tony turned and shot him a dirty look.  
"You cannot be serious?" Tony said in disbelief, staring at Fury on the big screen in the living room. He shook his head slowly. "Ship him off to Asgard, Fury, I don't want him!"  
"You don't have a choice in the matter, Tony." Fury replied. "Odin saw how Thor changed after several months here, so he thinks Loki might do a big 360 into the light and out of darkness." He gave him the complain-and-ill-ship-you look, and the sentence Tony was going to say died on his lips.  
"Goddammit." Tony said instead. There was nothing else to say, really, except some kind of term that could express how Tony was feeling right now.  
Fury gave the team what Tony thought to be reminiscent of a pitying smile. He didn't think that Fury was capable of such a feat, but the man was full of surprises. "He's coming in tomorrow, so you have all day to prepare."  
Thor grinned widely. "I'm sure that my brother will enjoy his stay." He took another bite of pancakes.  
"Question." Tony turned back to Fury. "Is magic included in the package?"  
Fury shook his head. "Nope, he's stripped of his powers. He's a regular mortal now and he isn't pretty happy about that." He nodded. "Good luck." The screen shut off.  
"This is not a good way to start the day, at all." Tony fumed. "I'm a CEO, not a babysitter!"  
Steve cleared his throat. "I'm sure it won't be that bad, Tony." He took a sip from his glass of water.  
"Have you seen the man? He's like a twig!" Clint laughed between bites of breakfast.  
Thor shook his head. "He may look thin, but Asgardiams are stronger than humans, Barton. Don't think lightly of my brother."  
Tony smiled dryly. "I volunteer Barton to go tell Pepper." He sat down at the table.  
"I second that." Natasha voiced from the kitchen. She came out of the kitchen. "Thor, when everyone's finished, can you bring the dishes and put then in the dishwasher?"  
"Sure!" Thor nodded.  
"Wait, what?" Barton stopped mod chew. "Aren't you her boyfriend?"  
Tony shrugged. "We're not exactly on speaking terms after I nearly blew up her office last week." He picked up a plate of fresh pancakes. "Come on, buddy, we'll go apologize together! And break the news to her at the same time!"  
Barton stood up. "But I don't have anything to apologize for!"  
Tony gave him an incredulous look. "Shall I remind you of when you shot one your 'Cupid arrows' into her arm? I don't think you want that."  
Barton flinched slightly. "I really need to get leverage on you, Stark." He sighed and followed after Tony.  
"So says one of SHIELD's best spies," Natasha shook her head.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Just wanted to say that this is my first fic ever and of course that none of the characters belong to me. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Pepper, of course, was not very enthusiastic about letting in the person who almost had the whole of Manhattan nuked, mortal or not. Tony didn't blame her for thinking that.

"Tony, you have to tell Fury not to send him." Pepper said, looking at Tony in disbelief. She shook her head and frowned. "I don't exactly want to be sleeping under the same roof as the man who brought aliens to the world. Who knows what _things _might be after him?"

"Already tried. He gave me the look. And I'm sure that the only thing following Loki is his damaged pride." Tony said. He turned to face Pepper and grinned. "I'll make a taser just for you, Peps. If he gets too close for your liking, you just zap him." He made a jabbing motion with one hand. "Guaranteed to knock him out in seconds. I'll test it on Thor to make sure it's potent enough."

Pepper glared at him. "This is serious, Tony. We don't know if he's gonna wreak more havoc than before." She sighed. "Just make sure he doesn't get into any of your 'abandoned projects' rooms, because I don't want to have to deal with that either."

Tony nodded quickly. "Got it."

Pepper walked away, muttering things Tony couldn't, and didn't want to hear. He was sure that she would be okay. She was pretty capable of taking care of herself. Tony, however, was not so keen about having to room with Loki. Even without his magic, Tony was sure that Loki was pretty dangerous.

* * *

_"Sir, there is a group of SHIELD agents at the door. Should I let them in?" _Jarvis asked.

"Oh, joy, here comes the guest of honor. And very prompt, I should say." Tony mumbled to himself. He rolled over to the other side of the bed and looked through the window. The sun was just peeking through the Manhattan skyline, staining the sky a pinkish orange. He yawned and looked at the blinking clock on the table. It read 5:30 AM. Tony grumbled to himself for a minute before saying, "Jarvis, send them in. And could you prepare my cup of coffee?"

_"Already on it, sir." _Jarvis replied.

Tony slipped out of bed and stretched. His arc reactor flickered, as if it was booting up, too. He walked out of his room, making sure to grab his coffee on the way.

The agents stood attentively in the lobby. When Tony rounded the corner, one of them walked up to him and saluted.

Tony was sure he didn't exactly look like a billionaire, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black shorts. His hair was probably in a ungodly mess, and he was still yawning a lot. He took a sip of his coffee and reveled in its deliciousness. Nothing like a cup of caffeine to fuel his most likely going to be hectic day.

"Mr. Stark, sir, Loki is here," the agent told him. He motioned toward the group of agents and they separated, showing the god in all his magicless glory.

It wasn't at all what Tony had expected, really. Magicless Loki looked just as threatening as Magical Loki did, except it looked like he was going through withdrawal or something. There were deep bags under his eyes and he seemed fidgety and out of place. His hair was just as long as Tony had saw him last. He wondered if there were barbershops in Asgard, and if not, there should be.

Loki looked at him and frowned. "It is a _pleasure_ to see you again, Stark." He said dryly.

Tony gave him a mocking smile. "First rule: No throwing Tonys, real or fake, out of the windows. _Va bene_?" He took another long drink from his mug.

Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance.

The first agent nodded and saluted at Tony. "Good luck, sir. You're gonna need it. And Fury sends his wishes." He and the other agents left, leaving behind a couple of duffel bags, most likely full of clothes. Courtesy of SHIELD, of course.

Tony nearly choked on his coffee as he stared after the agents. "Wishes? I bet he sends his wishes. More like his death wishes or something."

He turned to face Loki and shrugged slightly. "Make yourself at home, I guess?" Tony motioned down another hallway. "Everyone's probably eating breakfast right now, but I don't think you'll want to join them. Am I right?"

Loki stared at him. "I think showing me where I'll be staying would be more wise, Stark." Loki said to him. He picked up a duffel bag. "And I hope that it is **not** next to Thor or I'll kill you." His tone was flat and threatening.

"Yeah, I'll make note of that." Tony shivered slightly. He didn't doubt that Loki wouldn't hesitate to kill him. He motioned for Loki to follow him as he walked towards the elevator. "The other guys will help pick up your other bags."

Loki nodded and followed after Tony.

A few hours in and Tony was still in one piece. He sighed internally with relief. Magicless Loki seemed to be much less violent than Magic Loki. He hoped that he would be like this for the few weeks he would be here. That would be heaven on Earth. But then again, it was only the first few hours. Lots of things could happen in the weeks to come.


End file.
